When friendly isn’t good enough, how attitudes at the top dictate culture

This past weekend I took my daughter shopping for new bathing suits. Summer had officially arrived and with it swimming season – even though it felt like June-uary outside. Shopping is not my favourite activity but this was an absolute necessity. As a realist, I expected to experience the aggravation and frustration all women – young and old – have experienced attempting to find a bathing suit that fits properly and that meets the high demands of fashion and function.

We went to a local sporting goods specialty store – the only one located downtown. Every time the door opens a loud bell sounds, still we were not greeted when we arrived. I hunted down an employee to ask where the bathing suits for young ladies were located. The very friendly sales clerk pointed me to a small, poorly merchandised area that was completely disorganized. He said the girls’ and women’s suits were both in that area.

Obviously this was not satisfactory, I needed more information and help! I asked where the girls’ suits were located specifically. In a very agreeable tone the man indicated that the suits were not organized by size because customers moved them whenever the staff tried to arrange things. This did not compute for me. I used to work in retail and we wanted customers in the shop looking at our merchandise. I guess times have changed, still I opined that it might be worth their while to take the time to keep the store organized so customers could see the products and find their sizes. He smiled amiably. I continued, suggesting that I might not buy as much if the merchandise was not on view. The friendly sales clerk sympathetically allowed that might be the case but was firm in his view that my vision would not be feasible because customers made a mess. The clerk seemed quite happy to talk so I asked for advice about sizing. My new friend modestly let me know that he had no idea about sizing and said he’d have to ask “one of the girls”. He sauntered off to find someone. After he left no one came. It was clear I was there to buy not browse. It mystified me that no one would help.

People who know me know that I like to be looked after. I shop at stores that call me when things I like have arrived so I won't have to browse. My inclination was to leave the store immediately; however, as much as I like to be looked after my dislike of busy malls on the weekend is greater. I decided to fend for myself on the bathing suit quest. We sorted through the suits, guessed at sizes and returned the unsatisfactory merchandise to the rack. In the end we found only one bathing suit that “worked”. Had someone helped us, who knew the stock and sizing, I am sure we could have found a second bathing suit. As we made our way to the cash, I noted that there were a lot of people “working.” They smiled, acknowledging us but didn’t ask if we needed any help or if we had found everything we had been looking for.

Upon leaving the store I realized that friendly and helpful are not the same thing. Service staff in retail stores, restaurants, hotels, and casinos should be courteous, but they must be helpful for your business to succeed. The difference between friendly and helpful is a distinction with a real difference.

In the interest of being helpful I wrote to the company and explained how were treated while shopping. Nearly seven days have passed and I have not received a response. That apathy on the part of management tells me everything I need to know about why the culture at their shop is not service-oriented.

Service businesses need to:

• Help employees understand that they are not there to collect a paycheck and be friendly. Employees, particularly those with customer facing responsibilities have a role in revenue development. This may seem like an obvious point but my experience suggests it is not well understood by businesses or employees.

• Top down there has to be an understanding of the service standards expected. It needs to be integrated into a plan and implemented organization wide. There need to be ways daily to help reinforce the expectations with employees at all levels.

• Hire the right people – providing sales and service is not for everyone. There is a certain personality type that excels in this type of environment. Pose prospective employees with hypothetical situations. Their responses will tell you if this person will just take up space or add something to your customers and your bottom line.

• Most of all, businesses need to foster a culture that supports your business objectives. From the top down, if your business is selling and looking after customers needs that value needs to be demonstrated.

No doubt because I hate going to malls on the weekend and because my daughter is sporty I will continue to frequent this shop. They don’t deserve my business but truthfully the service at the other sporting good stores in my area isn’t exceptional enough to inspire a destination trip. I will resent every penny I give this retailer. Which is too bad because typically I love supporting my local merchants.

#CustomerExperience #Service #Retail